When it comes to DIY musicianship, you have a broad variety of tasks and challenges at hand. Depending on the size of your team, you either push through most efforts by yourself or with slight backup. Either way, you probably tend run the extra mile on a regular basis.
The great thing about these efforts, is, that they all intertwine to a mesh of experience and knowledge. Having to make tough decisions on your own and follow through will most definitely strengthen your musical independence.
Every journey is unique, just as every timbre swings in its own shade and color. This article might help you engage in a productive and fulfilling venture.
Embracing unpredictability
Accepting the unpredictability of certain factors is a vital point of engaging in a healthy musical endeavor. Sometimes certain processes seem to run dry with little to no movement – and then, all of a sudden, things start to slide into motion.
You can control a lot about the way your musical agenda is to be played out – what format, which channels, look & feel, timing. Also, you can hope on certain things happening while trying to make them happen, like media partnerships or external coops.
Still, many factors connected to creating and releasing music lie outside of your sphere of influence. Working with a great team and engaging in the creative periphery like artwork and visuals can be a smooth ride – but also a bumpy backroad.
Often, you’ll enter a campaign or creative endeavor with a distinct mindset, having that mindset completely turned around in the course of the process. And that’s perfectly fine and bearable – as long as you’re able to embrace this form of unpredictability.
Especially perfectionists tend to have a hard time when trying to let things go. But exactly that might be the vital action that enables something exciting and unpredicted to happen.
Crossing artistic boarders
The great freedom in DIY musicianship is the way you’re able to frame the work you aim to get out there. Come up with the visual periphery and ways to portray your art. Don’t see it as a drag or added hustle. On the contrary – it’s part of the process of growth, ideally adding depth and quality to your musical content.
By defining the context you express yourself in, you basically welcome potential audiences to your creative domain. Sharpening your profile as an artist and promoting a comprehensible exchange.
Keyword in this sense is “creative framing”. Set a frame that is tailored to your musical output. That way you have a maximum amount of influence on the effect and intensity your art may convey.
Also – engaging in other creative fields always means embracing a new form of creative language. The deeper you dig into a new area, the more you learn about what it is you want and where you want to go.
You’ll get to the point faster and gain respect of other creatives, by having a holistic creative view and exercising your knowledge. This will make your life a lot easier and definitely relax the process.
Don’t forget to be a good cop
It’s incredibly easy to fall into a groove that perpetuates grimness. If you’re your own boss, chances are high you hardly cut yourself any slack or off time.
Just like any independent contractor, you have to make things happen and there’s no one watching over your shoulder, making sure tasks get done and deadlines are met.
This can be a great feeling, due to the amount of freedom and creative emancipation your are bound to exercise. The flip-side of this work-mode, though, is the potential of hounding yourself into working far beyond what any boss would expect from regular employees or teammates.
Make sure you play the good cop once in a while – especially directed towards yourself. Moments of gratification and “letting yourself off the hook” are incredibly important when engaging in a one man/girl operation.
Consider the many nights you spend producing or writing new original music? I guess you’ve never seen a boss demand that on a regular basis. Of course there’s the added factor of actually enjoying what you do, and getting lost in positive process.
Still – try to take care of yourself, especially when pushing the limits of professional, competitive musicianship.
If you have any input or ideas on important factors when engaging in DIY musicianship – comment this article or hit us up via the ForTunes Blog!
2 join the family and show some love for this!